Over time the concentration of contaminants associated with porous and nonporous surfaces, and in fluids such as gases, liquids, and solutions, usually increases. In many consumer and industrial applications the concentration of these contaminants needs to be reduced before the surface or fluid is utilized. Many different technologies have been developed to accomplish this goal. In the treatment of surfaces, highly reactive chemical agents are often used. Preferred chemical agents provide intimate contact with all aspects of the surface. In the treatment of fluids, such as gases, liquids, and solutions, two dominant and significantly different strategies exist. The first strategy involves passing the fluid through filters and filtration devices which contain filters. In this strategy, contaminants are retained in the filter as the fluid passes through the filter. The second strategy involves the use of highly reactive chemical agents to decrease the concentration of contaminants. In this strategy, the chemical agents are introduced directly into the fluid, from a concentrated source. Many highly reactive chemical agents are regulated as pesticides and require specialized handling. The use of highly reactive chemical agents in many surface and fluid treatment applications is usually less costly, less complicated, and less time consuming than installing filters and filtration devices.
This invention does not involve the use of fluid filters or purification devices for gases, water, and other aqueous liquids, which remove contaminants from the gas, water, or other aqueous liquid passing through them.
This invention does involve the generation, storage, and delivery of highly reactive chemical agents to surfaces and to fluids such as gases, liquids, and solutions. Preferred highly reactive chemical agents of this invention are gases.
The unique and beneficial characteristics of gases such as chlorine dioxide, oxygen, sulfur dioxide, carbon dioxide, chlorine, and nitrogen containing gases are well known in many fields. These gases modify solution properties by interacting with both chemical and biological components contained therein. Methods for generating and packaging many reactive gases for transportation and for storage on-site when continual use is required have been extensively described. However, a particular distinction must be made with respect to chlorine dioxide gas generation, storage, and transport. Although this reactive gas has many beneficial characteristics, its generation is hazardous, it can not be packaged or stored safely, and therefore it can not be transported to or stored at the site of application. As a result, this highly versatile gas has been difficult to utilize in many small volume, low concentration applications, and by consumers in residential applications.
The instant invention provides novel materials and methods for safely, economically, and efficiently generating, containing, and utilizing chlorine dioxide gas in a wide range of concentrations. The instant invention facilitates the fabrication and wide dissemination of many new consumer, medical, industrial, and military useful materials and products which facilitate the direct introduction of highly reactive chemical agents onto surfaces and into fluids. The materials and methods are applicable to many other reactive gases including, sulfur dioxide, carbon dioxide, chlorine, oxygen, and gases which contain nitrogen as well as carrier solutions including polar and nonpolar liquids. The materials of the invention are widely and immediately available and the methods of the invention are extremely simple, allowing wide spread dissemination of products based upon the invention.